LOCALS IN BAYOU BOWL ALL-STAR GAME | KHS, HHS players suit up again on Saturday in Barber’s Hill
Just days after playing in the Class 4A Division I Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Kilgore’s Jamarian Duncan-Morgan, Wylie Mitchell and Jackson Tucker-Phillips and Henderson’s Jonathan Bateman have been selected to play in the 2025 Bayou Bowl.
The all-star game is presented by the City of Mount Belvieu and will be played on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Barber’s Hill High School’s Eagle Stadium. That’s in southeast Texas, about 200 miles from here.
East Texas coaches include Whitehouse’s Kyle Westerberg and Texas High’s Gerry Stanford.
Bateman, Duncan-Morgan, Mitchell and JTP will all play for the East Texas All-Stars, teaming up with players from programs like Longview, Texas High, Nacogdoches, Carthage, Jefferson and more.
This year’s game (Greater Houston vs. East Texas All-Stars) is a first. The game originally matched a Houston team against a team of high school all-stars from Louisiana. In the last couple of years, though Louisiana opted out to have its own All-Star game.
Bateman (6-foot-2, 340 pounds), an offensive lineman for Henderson, helped the Lions’ offense to 2,474 rushing yards and 3,749 total yards, and to finish their season with a 6-4 record, the best Henderson season since 2019.
Duncan-Morgan, Mitchell and Tucker-Phillips were stalwarts on a Kilgore team that finished with a 13-3 record, and reached the University Interscholastic League’s Class 4A, Division I state championship game.
The Bulldogs’ defense allowed an average of 192 yards per game (108.3 rushing and 84.0 passing), and just 14.9 points per game.
It was a standout Kilgore defense that scored seven touchdowns, recovered 15 fumbles and intercepted 24 passes over the course of the 2024 season.
“The state championship game (against Celina) didn’t end the way we would have liked,” said Tucker-Phillips. “So, this for me is another opportunity to showcase my skills in front of some college coaches and just see what happens.”
“It’s an honor to be chosen, and to have a chance to step up and show what I can do. I’m excited to get the chance (to play),” said Duncan-Morgan, who played several defensive positions for the Bulldogs, but has been told he’ll be a defensive end in Saturday’s contest.
Mitchell (6-foot-1, 245 pounds), a defensive end, finished fourth in total tackles with 103 (45 of those unassisted), nine tackles for loss for minus 25 yards, five sacks for minus 44 yards, a blocked punt, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a team-leading 16 hurries.
Duncan-Morgan (6-1, 195), a defensive end and outside linebacker, for the Bulldogs recorded 95 tackles (40 unassisted) to go with three tackles for loss for minus 2 yards, three sacks for minus 17 yards, an interception, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and four hurries.
Tucker-Phillips (6-2, 260), a defensive lineman, had 76 tackles (47 of those unassisted), six tackles for loss for minus 14 yards to go with three sacks for minus 19 yards, two pass break-ups and eight hurries.
Here’s the complete roster for the East Texas All-Stars for the game.
2024-25 BAYOU BOWL EAST TEXAS ALL-STARS ROSTER
| 0 Chase Johnson, QB, Daingerfield |
| 1 Klayton Ingram, LB, Carthage |
| 2 Darnell Williams, DB, Texas High |
| 3 Kelvin Washington, TE/WR, Longview |
| 4 Javari Johnson, RB, Texas High |
| 5 Kenny Mosley, WR, Marshall |
| 6 Dameon Smith Jr., DB, Marshall |
| 7 Jaylynn Taylor, DB, Longview |
| 8 Tyren Mathews, RB/DB, Nacogdoches |
| 9 Christopher Love, WR, Jefferson |
| 10 Jamarian Duncan-Morgan, DE/LB, Kilgore |
| 11 Trevor Allen, RB/LB, Spring Hill |
| 12 Noah Lindsey, DB, Whitehouse |
| 13 Hudson Barron, TE/H, Whitehouse |
| 14 David Potter, QB, Texas High |
| 15 Layne Hooker, WR, Whitehouse |
| 16 Kobe Gaut, DB, Hallsville |
| 17 Jamayis Morrow, OLB, Longview |
| 18 Sheldon Harris, DE, Texas High |
| 20 Seth Baggett, K/P, Lindale |
| 21 Quincy Coutee, WR, Lufkin |
| 22 Isaiah Dowden, LB, Texas High |
| 24 Raijon Sims, WR/DB, Marshall |
| 28 Nathaniel Kirksey, LB, Tyler Legacy |
| 30 Wylie Mitchell, DE, Kilgore |
| 33 Kason Brooks, DE/LB, Longview |
| 41 Isaiah Horton, DE/LB, Longview |
| 52 Fernando Longoria, OL, Longview |
| 54 James Marrow, DL, Carthage |
| 55 Peyton Davis, OL, Pine Tree |
| 56 Cash Acker, OL, Tyler Legacy |
| 59 Jonathan Bateman, OL, Henderson |
| 68 Joshua Blackwell, OL, Texas High |
| 71 Jonathan Amieva, OL, Mount Pleasant |
| 72 Braylin Allison, DL, Carthage |
| 74 Quentin Lacy, OL, Nacogdoches |
| 75 Brandon Allison, OL, Carthage |
| 88 Chad Ward, WR, Lindale |
| 90 Jackson Tucker Phillips, DL, Kilgore |